


You Can Do Better

by h1nata



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, also probably don't read if you like sasuke lmao, i've been writing this for months fdlsjkfl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 02:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12223455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h1nata/pseuds/h1nata
Summary: Shikamaru watched the scene unfold before him in what he wished he could say is shock, but he wasn’t shocked in the slightest.





	You Can Do Better

**Author's Note:**

> i've become increasingly into narushika (or any naruto ship that isn't sns) so i started writing this months ago lmao
> 
> also also, if you didn't see the tag, you probs dont wanna read this if you love sasuke? like i tried not to sound too biased but uh, he's kinda rly a douchebag in this so there's that.

     Shikamaru watched the scene unfold before him in what he wished he could say is shock, but he wasn’t shocked in the slightest.

     He’s always been observant, and over the years, he has always thought that Naruto and Sasuke’s “relationship” was a bit...off. Ino berated him in their second year of middle school for not seeing their impending hook-up; Naruto was clinging shyly, but happily, onto Sasuke who looked rather indifferent as always. Shikamaru only rolled his eyes and sighed, thinking back on the two lovebirds’ relationship. All he could recall was name-calling, bickering, and a pointless rivalry. Although, he does remember that there were times when the two would unabashedly stick up for each other, so he figures that with all his intellect and observing, he must have missed _something_.

     But as he peeks from the top of the entrance on the roof, he thinks he might not have been wrong this entire time. The breakup was nasty, in true Naruto and Sasuke fashion. Sasuke was nonchalant at first, being the one to suggest the break up, but as Naruto got more and more emotional, the angrier Sasuke got. In the end, after many pushes, and a few punches thrown, Sasuke shoved Naruto one good time (enough to have the other falling over, but Shikamaru is sure that Naruto has just given up at this point), and he left without another word.

     Shikamaru’s eyebrow twinged a bit, feeling a bit of his own anger bubbling up inside of him, especially as Naruto shed more tears than he has ever seen him shed.

     “Is he really worth crying over like that?” Shikamaru said as he hopped down from the roof of the entrance. “I mean, I’ve always thought that you could’ve done much better.” Shikamaru made his way over the Naruto, plopping down next to him and bringing him into his side. Naruto buried into Shikamaru, not even sparing him a quick remark. This is a whole side of Naruto that Shikamaru could have gone his whole life without seeing, not because it’s troublesome for him, but because it makes him angry. He felt angrier than he’s ever felt before and he’s not quite sure how to deal with it.

     “I feel so stupid,” Naruto resurfaced from the comfort of Shikamaru’s shoulder. He looked a mess, like someone other than the bright-eyed, knucklehead that Shikamaru’s  used to seeing. “why did he ever agree to go out with me if he didn’t feel anything? And why did I ever believe that he’d like me of all people anyways?” Naruto sniffled, more tears rolling down his face as he thinks about his heart break again.

     “Like I said before, you could have done way better. I could accept you being eventually broken up with by anyone, but never Sasuke. He’s such a dick.” Shikamaru said with a grimace, but his face softened as Naruto chuckled lightly.

     “Wow, I never knew you didn’t like Sasuke this much.” Naruto’s voice was laced with a teasing smile, even if he couldn’t quite get it on his face at the moment, but the hint was enough for Shikamaru to soften completely. “Also, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m so embarrassed that you saw all of that.” Naruto groaned and buried his face back into Shikamaru’s shoulder, and Shikamaru just laughed.

     “I actually didn’t mind him much before, never really had to, you know. But then you two started dating, and I couldn’t help but notice him more.” Shikamaru made a sound of disdain and Naruto sat up, wiping his face clear and making himself look a bit more presentable.

     “And why is that?” Naruto questioned, his lips quirking upwards slightly.

     Shikamaru made a face, “Why is what?”

     “Why couldn’t you help but notice him when we started dating? Why would you even care?”

     “Well, obviously, because of y—” Oh. Shikamaru’s face contorted, and it flushed, and Naruto was laughing at this point. Naruto—who was never quick on the uptake, never read inbetween the lines, never knew what the hell was going on unless you spelled it out for him—was laughing because he realized the meaning of Shikamaru’s words before the man himself did.

     “So,” Naruto drawled out, throwing an arm around Shikamaru and pulling him close. He didn’t immediately continue, though he did begin to speak before he cut himself off. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto as the other thought his way through this situation; his fresh break up, Shikamaru’s apparent feelings, his feelings towards Shikamaru. It was a lot, and Shikamaru is somewhat embarrassed that this is happening right now. “so, you’ve always thought that I could do better?” Naruto finally continued.

     “You know, I don’t expect you to immediately cater to my feelings, Naruto.” Shikamaru knocked his head against Naruto’s a small smile on his face. “Let’s take care of you first. I’ll treat you to some ramen. We can even round up all the guys, but if you tell them I’m treating you, I’m making you pay for your own.” Naruto chuckled and he hugged Shikamaru tighter, not letting go until Shikamaru hugged him back.

     The two rose and dusted their clothes off. Shikamaru inspected Naruto’s wounds from his and Sasuke’s fight, anger bubbling up inside him again. It must have shown on his face, because Naruto took Shikamaru’s hand into his and squeezed it, giving Shikamaru his usual smile. Shikamaru rolled his eyes with a sigh, but a smile followed suit anyways.

     After a quick visit to the infirmary (Tsunade started to chew Naruto out, but they were saved by Shizune), they were on their way to Naruto’s favorite ramen shop, when Naruto stopped suddenly. Shikamaru turned around, curiosity on his face. Even in the soft glow of the setting sun, Naruto’s blush still caught Shikamaru’s eyes. Before he could question Naruto, though, said male stepped forward and kissed Shikamaru on the cheek.

     “Thank you for today, really. You acted more like a boyfriend than he ever did, and we’re not even dating yet. Maybe, possibly, I don’t know.” Naruto groaned and ruffled his hair in frustration and embarrassment. Shikamaru chuckled and wrapped and arm around his friend again, pulling him close like before.

     “It’s probably because I’ve looked after you for a long time now. Caring for you, liking you, loving you,” Shikamaru grinned as Naruto blushed even more. “it’s pretty much ingrained in me.” The two stepped up to Ichiraku, shaking their heads as the noise level finally registers.

     “Hey! You two finally made it!” Kiba exclaimed around a mouthful of meat. Neji shoved him in disgust before greeting his friends properly, only to be interrupted by an over-excited Rock Lee. Shino attempted a greeting as well, but was skipped over in favor of Naruto loudly exclaiming his order to Mr. Teuchi and Shikamaru greeting Chouji.

     “Hey, Nards,” Kiba leaned into Naruto who was anxiously awaiting his meal. “heard about the whole breakup, sounded real nasty, man. But it looks like you’ve upgraded anyways, huh?” Kiba grinned and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Naruto to sputter and shove him away into Neji, which in turned caused _him_ to spill broth on his pants—specifically his crotch. Lee then goes into a frenzy trying to help Neji clean himself, but he only manages to make things look suggestive.

     Shikamaru watched as Naruto doubled over, crying, but this time from laughter. He thought about how much he preferred this Naruto, and also how great of an effect a completely happy Naruto had on him.

     “Oi, Shikamaru, don’t order food if you’re going to ignore it!” Chouji exclaims, stealing Shikamaru’s egg from his ramen like usual. “You’re doing a total disservice to Naruto, by the way.” Shikamaru whipped his head around to give an incredulous look to Chouji. “I’m insulted you would even be surprised that I wouldn’t catch on. I’m your best friend, dude.”

     “Well, why didn’t you tell me I had a crush then? It would’ve saved Naruto the heartbreak if I had confessed first.”

     “First of all, that’s terrible logic, I hope you know that. Secondly, considering the fact that even if I did tell you, you would have denied it anyways.” Chouji stated matter-of-factly before shoving more food into his mouth. Shikamaru couldn’t argue with that, so he began eating his own meal in deep thought.

     Soft, orange glows of evening turned into darkness, and the boys all stepped out into it. They all broke off into pairs or groups—Kiba and Shino opted to go with Chouji to a nearby convenience store to pick up tomorrow’s snacks while Lee managed to talk Neji into letting him walk him home by suggesting a race, leaving Naruto and Shikamaru with each other. The two walked with no words shared, but Naruto hummed happily and walked with a skip in his step. Shikamaru watched—as he always does—as Naruto jumped from here to there in time with his humming. Eventually, Naruto settled for walking on the short wall beside Shikamaru, weaving all over the place until Shikamaru took his hand. They walked like that all the way to Naruto’s apartment, even after Naruto ran out of walls to walk on.

     “Are you going to be okay tonight?” Shikamaru has considered the outcomes of asking this question, but he does so anyways. He didn’t want Naruto to think back to the hurt after having a great time out with friends, but he also didn’t want Naruto to pretend to be okay, only to enter his bare bones apartment and immediately break down with no one to be there for him.

     Naruto sighed. “Probably not, I mean, I had a good rest of the day, but I probably won’t be able to _not_ think about it. I really did like him, you know, and I thought all of our back-and-forth we did was seriously flirting. I don’t know why—” Naruto’s voice cracked, and his eyes brimmed with tears. Shikamaru took Naruto into his arms again, embracing him tightly. He expected to feel anger again, but he only hurt for Naruto.

     “I can stay, if you want me to, that is. My mom will give me a hell of an earful, but she’ll understand if I tell her it’s important.” Naruto simply nodded after attempting to voice his affirmation which never quite made it out. Shikamaru pulled away from Naruto only to position himself in front of the other so that he could pick Naruto up onto his back.

     “A-are you sure?” Naruto questioned with several sniffles, and Shikamaru knew he had never been more sure of anything else in his life.

     “It’s troublesome, but you deserve it. Hop on.” Naruto awkwardly climbed on Shikamaru’s back, gasping when Shikamaru hoisted him up after standing upright. On the way towards Naruto’s place, Naruto allowed himself to relax and slump against Shikamaru; he wrapped his arms around the other and buried his face into Shikamaru’s neck. The walk back was silent, Shikamaru was swimming in his thoughts as usual and Naruto was simply enjoying the warmth of another person who actually cared about him. When they arrived at Naruto’s apartment, both were reluctant to separate from each other. Naruto climbed down anyways, digging his key out of his school bag, before halting his moments. Shikamaru raised a brow at him, confused by Naruto’s actions.

     “U-um, could you turn around, and uh, wait outside for a bit. I have to clean up, j-just a little!” Naruto’s face was amusing to Shikamaru, and he almost forgot how much of a slob Naruto could be since he lived alone with hardly any supervision. Shikamaru chuckled and turned around, grinning as Naruto groaned under his breath and berated himself for being so messy. “I promise to be quick about it, since it’s getting late.” Naruto said before he went inside, the door clicking shut behind him.

     Shikamaru stepped forward a bit more to lean into the railing that lined the front of the apartments. There wasn’t much to stare out at—more buildings lined the street across from where he was and the usual light pollution from living in the city made looking at the night sky pointless. Nonetheless, Shikamaru’s eyes roamed around, trying to find anything even remotely interesting to focus on. He was in the middle of trying to decipher if the wiley shadows in the narrow alley diagonal from him was a stray animal or his imagination when his phone rang, making him jump and clutch at his chest. He dug his phone out from his pocket, swallowing dryly when his mother’s name popped up on the screen.

     “H-hello,” He answered meekly and politely, remembering the lecture he got the last time he answered his mother’s call improperly.

     “Nara Shikamaru,” Yoshino’s voice was calm and dark, and it shook something inside of Shikamaru. “do you have _any_ idea of what time it is?” Shikamaru’s mind sped through all possible ways to approach this situation, most of which ended up with him getting yelled at. He held the phone far away from his face before sighing lightly.

     “Yes....ma'am, but Naruto—” There was a gasp.

     “ _Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto?_ ” The way she said Naruto’s name with utter disgust hurt Shikamaru more than it probably should have. “Didn’t I tell you not to fraternize with that no-good—” His mother’s voice disappeared, and a tired sigh filled Shikamaru’s ears. It was his dad, who dared to take the phone away from his mother, who he could hear still yelling in the background.

     “Oi, kiddo, you’re staying the night at Naruto’s?” His father asked calmly despite the storm going off next to him.

     “Yeah, sorry dad, did I make mom wake you up?”

     “Yep, you sure did, son.” Shikaku laughed heartily and Shikamaru relaxed a bit. “Well, make good decisions, and next time, let us know beforehand when you’re going to be staying over with a friend.”

     “I will, and can you tell mom that I’m really sorry, it’s just that Naruto had a bad day, and I didn’t want to leave him alone. He’s an important....friend.” Shikamaru brought his hand up to the cheek that Naruto kissed earlier, his face heating up at the memory.

     “Will do, son, good night.” Shikamaru’s father ended the call, and Shikamaru sighed in relief. _‘Not that bad, thanks to dad, that is.’_ he thought to himself.

     “Did I get you in trouble?” Naruto’s voice was small, but it filtered into Shikamaru’s ears loudly, making him whip his head around.

     “What? No, it’s fine, I promise. Besides, staying with you tonight is important to me, and I intend to stand by this decision no matter what.” Shikamaru said simply, ruffling Naruto’s hair as he passed by him to go inside. Naruto’s eyes widened, he turned to watch Shikamaru go inside casually, a blush dusting his face. He smiled softly before grinning and heading inside, jumping onto Shikamaru’s back happily.

 

☆☆☆☆☆☆

 

     A few weeks later, the two of them were still dancing around each other. Not quite dating—both deciding that it was still a bit too soon—but quite obviously more than friends.

     There was more casual touching than usual; Shikamaru became Naruto’s favorite person to hang off of. Shikamaru played along more with Naruto’s antics, his resolve weak and smile soft. They went everywhere together, and the only times they were apart were doing class times, with Shikamaru being in the advanced class 5 (not by his own will, but by his mother’s and her sharp glare) and Naruto being in class 1.

     Despite the insistence that they weren’t together (there was a firm ‘yet’ on the tips of their tongues, but it remained unsaid), everyone thought they were dating anyways, which is why it surprised Shikamaru to find Naruto and Hinata in the courtyard one day—alone, together. He, just as much as anyone else, knew very well of Hinata’s long time crush on Naruto, so he couldn’t help but want to catch a bit of their conversation.

     “So, Naruto-kun, um, I-I see you’ve gotten closer with Shikamaru-kun?” Hinata started, she was blushing slightly, but her shy nature wasn’t as bad as it usually was. She must have thought about this conversation a lot before actually having it.

     Naruto beamed. “Yeah! He’s like my best...f-friend!”

     Shikamaru snorted softly. ‘Smooth.’ he thought.

     “I see,” Hinata looked hopeful. “Um, then can I tell you something?”

     Naruto’s head cocked to the side. “Sure, Hinata, go ahead!”

     Hinata took a deep breath and then she stood, moving to face Naruto. She bowed quickly with eyes shut tight. “I like you!”

     “There it is…” Shikamaru mumbled to himself. He was a little bothered, considering that he and Naruto quite obviously had their own _thing_ going on. It wasn’t anything official, but there was still something between them. Nonetheless, he figured Hinata should have a chance to shoot her shot. She has liked him the longest, he thinks at least,  and she lost her chance once already. For her to lose it twice would seem almost cruel.

     A deep blush covered Naruto’s face and he sputtered for a while. Hinata held her hands to her chest as she moved to sit next to him once more, probably feeling embarrassed the longer it took for Naruto to respond. Shikamaru watched Naruto controlled himself, reeling his feelings back in so that he could answer Hinata properly.

     “Hinata, I’m…..I’m sorry….I have feelings for someone else.” Naruto placed his hand on Hinata’s, and Shikamaru wondered how she was going to react. He didn’t know how she reacted to Naruto and….. _his_ relationship, so he was a bit curious. He couldn’t imagine her getting angry, but Hinata was a silent wildcard.

     And a wildcard she was, Shikamaru found, because Hinata simply chuckled and grasped Naruto’s hand back. Naruto seemed surprised, but not overly so. Almost like he had confidence in Hinata’s acceptance. “I thought so. Your best friends excuse wasn’t really convincing.” Naruto made a face, offended. Shikamaru laughed. “Well, I’m glad I finally got to tell you. It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Probably because you’re in good hands. Much better hands than last time…” Hinata’s face was bitter, and Naruto probably would have looked down about the subtle mention of Sasuke if he wasn’t surprised by Hinata’s slightly dark expression.

     “Now, now, Hinata-chan,” The nickname fell from Naruto’s mouth with ease, and Hinata sighed.

     “Too soon, Naruto-kun. Try being cute next week,” Hinata laughed at Naruto’s expression, and the two continued on with friendly banter for a moment longer. Shikamaru was surprised to find out how well those two meshed together once Hinata was able to move past her shy demeanor in front of Naruto. He gets lost in the idea of what could have been between the two of them, only coming back to reality once Hinata stood to leave.

     “Hey, Hinata,” Naruto called out. Hinata turned towards him with a questioning look. “You’re okay….right?”

     “Don’t worry, Naruto-kun. I’ll be fine. What’s important to me most of all if your happiness. Besides, even if I wasn’t okay, it’s not like I’d force myself onto you,” Naruto agreed with a laugh and Hinata waved to him before she went on her way. Naruto stayed seated, watching Hinata go with a strange look on his face.

     Shikamaru supposed it’s because Naruto knows what heartbreak is like, and that he’s worried for Hinata, so Shikamaru stepped from behind the tree he was taking refuge from, intent on going to comfort Naruto. However, Sasuke appeared, which had Shikamaru stopping in his tracks. He knew he should continue making his way over, to stop whatever catastrophe Sasuke had to bring, but he didn’t. Instead, Shikamaru stepped behind the tree again and listened closely.

     “Oi, loser,” Sasuke stood before Naruto with the same brooding expression on his face as always. Naruto attempted a smile, and knowing him, Shikamaru thought about how Naruto must be trying to act civil. It has been a few weeks, after all. They’ve had worse fights before going out, and they made up quick enough afterwards.

     “Oh, Sasuke, it’s been a while,” Naruto, despite his attempt at trying to act normal, seemed less than excited about this encounter.

     “What are you doing?”

     Naruto stiffened. “What? What do you me—”

     “You know what I mean.” Sasuke scoffed. “Making me out like some kind of villain? That’s rich coming from _you_ of all people.” Sasuke’s tone was biting and Naruto shot up, angry.

     “What the hell? I ain’t do anything! Whatever rep you got, you got by your own fucking self!” Shikamaru tightened his grip onto the trunk of the tree. He wanted to intervene, but he held out.

     “Yeah, you say that, but I’ve been watching you. I know what you’re doing.”

     “I don’t get it!” Naruto threw his hands up, frustrated. “You broke up with me, you said you didn’t care about me, that you never did, but now you’re keeping tabs on me? Now you care about what I’m doing? What’s your fucking deal, Sasuke?” Naruto’s voice broke, his chest heaved, his hands clenched. All of the work that Shikamaru spent in building Naruto back  up, was quickly being destroyed right in front of him.

     “I know what you’re doing to Shikamaru,” Sasuke stepped forward. The two were closer than they had ever been when they were dating. Shikamaru’s expression darkened. He never hated the sound of his own name more than when Sasuke was saying it. “you’re just using him. Can’t have me, so you go to the next best thing? And he’s just falling for it too. You’re both pathetic.” Naruto pushed Sasuke hard, and Shikamaru rushed over to stop him from going any further.

     “Naruto!” Shikamaru called out, grabbing Naruto’s arm in mid-air. Shikamaru pulled the blond to him, and away, not sparing any words to Sasuke, much less a glance. Shikamaru dragged Naruto to the roof, uncaring of the fact that lunch break was ending soon. Not like they’d miss much.

     The door to the roof closed behind them. Shikamaru leaned against it, Naruto stood in front of him, facing away. It was only with a deep sigh from Shikamaru that Naruto began to speak.

     “Did you—did you hear…..all of that?” Naruto’s arms were crossed against his chest, and he curled into himself slightly. He didn’t raise his head to look at Shikamaru.

     “Yeah,” Shikamaru replied.

     Naruto’s head whipped up at this and he nearly stumbled over his own feet rushing over to Shikamaru. His warm hands clasped onto Shikamaru’s shoulders, and he looked scared. “None of that is true! I promise! You—you mean so much more to me than that, please, Shikamaru,” Shikamaru’s stomach twisted at how desperate Naruto sounded. It made him think about Naruto’s reputation, and how easy it would be to get people to believe anything bad about the other boy.

     “Damn it,” Shikamaru cursed at Sasuke mentally before taking Naruto’s face into his hands and kissing him. They kiss until they couldn’t breath, only breaking apart slightly to regain breath before connecting once more. Naruto and Shikamaru melt into each other; arms wrapped around necks and waists, bodies pressed close. Despite how intensely the affection they both felt was, their kisses were chaste. Shikamaru pulled away from Naruto reluctantly, the blond trying to chase Shikamaru’s lips with his own, but Shikamaru holds him  back for now. “I think it’s been long enough.”

     “Huh?” Naruto breathed out.

     Shikamaru pressed their foreheads together. “Be mine, Naruto.”

     Naruto’s breath catches, and blush spread across his cheeks. “O-okay. But,” Shikamaru stopped as he was going in for another kiss. “are you sure? I mean, you trust me? I should know that you do! But I—”

     “Naruto, let me tell you something. When I was younger—well, when we were younger, and I heard about who you were and how other people felt about you, I asked my dad what I should do. He told me that you were just like anyone else, and to not treat you any differently. So I didn’t. I know we weren’t the best of friends, but we were friends, and I cared about you. A lot. I guess you could say that I was kind of like a tsundere,” Naruto chuckled, and Shikamaru smiled. “anyways, I just want you to know that nothing has changed. We’re still friends, probably like best friends even, and I still care about you. A lot. And if it’s about you, then the only person’s word I care about is yours, no one else’s. Especially not fucking _Sasuke_. Naruto, I like you. I suppose I have for a long time, since I’ve cared for you for a long time. I’ve been sure about you since the day you and Sasuke broke up. Nothing made me more upset than seeing you all down because of him. You deserve to be happy, and I want to be apart of that.”

     Naruto’s face crumbled slowly, tears running down his face in waterfalls. He buried his face into Shikamaru’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around the other tightly. Shikamaru chuckled softly, slowly devolving into laughter. Naruto pulled away, his smile wife and bright. The two of them pressed their foreheads together once more, spending the rest of their school day lounging on the roof.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
